Guardrail



P. CARLSON 1 Sept. 12, 1939 GUARDRAIL Filed Feb. 11, 1938 INVENTOR PHIL/F CARLSON BY 5 v/ A TORNEY Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUARDRAIL Phili-pCarlson, Long Hill, Conn, assignor to The Metropolitan Body Company, Bridgeport, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut.

Application February 11, 1938, Serial No. 189,946

8 Claims. (01".. 29357-) This invention relates to new and useful im- Also at the front side of the door opening, below provements in vehicles and has particular relaa window 20, a panel or panels 2i of plywood tion to motor driven delivery vehicles and the covered by sheet metal, close the sides of the protection of the side panels thereof. frame structure.

5 The objects and advantages of the invention Fig. 2 at 22 shows a pocket into which the door 5 will become apparent from a consideration of the i3 may be slid when moved to open position and following detailed description taken in connecfrom such figure it will be apparent that the outer tion with the accompanying drawing wherein a side panels [8 and 2f of the body It are at the satisfactory embodiment of the invention is outer sides of or laterally of the door l3 and 10 shown. However, it is to be understood that the the vehicle wheels II and I2. 10 invention is not limited to the details disclosed Disposed at the outer sides of the panels 2! but includes all such variations and modifications above the front Vehicle wheels If is a rub rail as fallwithin the spirit of the invention and the section 23 preferably formed of spring steel. A scope of the appended claims. rub rail section 24 is mounted on the rear por- In the drawing:- tion of the truck body and extends from the rear 15 Fig; 1 is a side elevational' view showing a side of the opening for door l3 substantially to vehicle constructed in accordance with the inthe rear of the body and is located at a point vention; above the rear Wheels l2 and in fact above the Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through removable wheel covering panel l4. Rail section a side wall of the vehicle, the view being taken 24 is also of spring steel. 20 as along the line 22 of Fig.1; and Rail section 23 has a number of bolts 25 weld- Fig; 3 isan enlarged detail sectional View showed or otherwise attached thereto at the inner side ing one of the means mounting the rub rail on thereof and such bolts pass through the panels the vehicle body. 21' and into the horizontal frame member I! as 25 Referring in detail to the drawing at m is bestshown in Fig. 2. The manner in which these 25 shown a motor vehicle body of a length and bolts are mounted will be clear from a considera- Width to enclose its front and rear ground entionof the description to follow in connection gaging Wheels H and 52. In its side wall body with Fig H3 is provided with a door It which may b a Rail section 24 has a series of bolts 26 welded 30 sliding door or otherwise as desired. Door l3 is or otherwise secured thereto and such bolts pass 30 located sii-ghtly t rear of the front ground through the panels l8 and enter the horizontal engaging wheels ll. frame member I! at the rear of the door open- It is noted that the upper ortion of heel ing. Bolts 26 have the same function with re- 1.- IV d 12' are substantially abo th lower edge spect to. rail section 24 as the bolts 25 have to of the body l0. Actually the side Walls of the the a l se t on The moun g o olts 26 35 body are slightlybeyond or laterally. of the outer as We l as the mounting of the bolts 25 is that sides. of the wheels ll and I2. Panels I i may fu y i ustr ed in be. provided to cover the upper portions of wheels In that figure it will be noted that interposed [2 under normal conditions and are removable between the rail and the side panels of the body to give access to the Wheels for the changing of and disposed about the shanks of the bolts are 40 rubber or other yielding cushioning blocks 2?.

The body lb" includes vertical and horizontal The bolts on passing through such blocks pass frame members. l5 and IE respectively and the through the side panels and into the horizontal number of such members may vary as found frame members of the body. Such frame mem- 5 desirable. One horizontal member is designated bers are. provided with recesses 28 corresponding IT in the drawing whereby to distinguish it in in number and with spacing with the bolts 25 later portions of this description. Secured to and 2'5 and are adapted to and do receive the the outer sides of the frame members are plyinner ends of the bolts. wood. panels l8a covered by thin sheet metal The bolts are of such length that with the panels 58; blocks 21 in place the inner ends of the bolts 50 Panels 53 and law may be secured in any deare in the recesses 28 and do not project at the sired manner or by any desired means and exinner side of the body. A metal strip 2e setend from the rear edge of the opening for door cured to the inner side'of the frame member ll E3. tothe rear end of the body and from the serves to cover the recesses 28. On the ends of 55 lower edge of the body to the top H! thereof. the bolts within the recesses 28 are nuts 38 55 whereby withdrawal of the bolts is limited or prevented and whereby the rub rail is mounted.

The rub rail when mounted as described will be disposed laterally of the panels of the body [0. Therefore should the vehicle be driven in such a manner that its side is' brought against an obstruction as a vertical support or pillar in a garage or the like, the rail will engage such object and the side panels of the body will not be damaged as by being pushed in or dented. As pressure comes on the rail it may yield or give between a pair of the rubber blocks 2'! as the rail is of spring steel and on the pressure being relieved the rail will spring back to normal position.

In addition should the pressure be applied in such place or in such manner as to require it the rubber blocks 21 will yield and save the side panels of the vehicle body. Obviously as the rubber blocks yield the bolts will move inwardly but it is noted that their inner ends are normally spaced from the metal strip 29 so that they may have a certain limited movement in the recesses.

With vehicles of the type wherein the sides are beyond or laterally of the wheels the side panels of the vehicle are subject to damage as they are not protected by the usual wheel and mud guard construction. The panels are usually of large sheets of metal and are easily deformed or dented by coming into contact with a pillar or the like of a garage, etc. In the present construction the rail sections projecting as described protect the entire sides of the vehicle body.

Any force applied to the rail sections is transmitted by them to the frame member I! independent of the side panels of the vehicle body.

Thus the pressure may not be applied to the panel at an unsupported point. As any lateral pressure will be transmitted to the vehicle frame independent of the panels covering such frame it will be apparent that the panels will not be dented or otherwise damaged.

Also attention is directed to the fact that the end portions 3! of the rail sections 23 and 24 are curved inwardly toward the body Ill whereby should such end portions come against an object a cam-like action may take place and no undue pressure will be applied such as might tend to tear the rail from the vehicle.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim'is:

1. In a motor driven Vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including side panels located at the outer sides of the plane of said wheels, frame members at the inner sides of and mounting said panels and of which one frame member is horizontally disposed, a metal rub rail at the outer side of said panels and extending longitudinally of said body in parallel relation with said horizontal frame member, mounting means secured to said rail at spaced points'and passing slidably through said side panels and into said horizontal frame member to mount the rail, and spacer blocks about said means between the rail and body side panels and comprising yieldable material whereby to permit of movement of said rail toward and from said body side panels without strain on the latter.

2. In a motor driven vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including side panels located at the outer sides of the plane of the wheels, said body including a horizontal frame member at the inner sides of said side panels, a spring metal rail at the outer side of said panels and parallel with said frame member, mounting means secured to said rail at spaced points and passing slidably through said panels and into said frame member to mount the rail, and rubber spacer blocks about said means between the rail and said body whereby to permit of movement of said rail toward and from said side body panels without strain on the latter.

3. In a motor driven vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including side panels above and at the outer sides of said wheels, a frame at the inner sides of the mounting said side panels, a spring metal rail located laterally of and at the outer sides of said side panels and substantially higher than the upper portions of said wheels, and means passing slidably through said side panels and anchoring said rail to said frame for movement independent of said panels.

4. In a motor driven vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including a frame mounting side panels at the outer sides of the plane of said wheels, a frame at the inner side of and mounting said side panels, said side panels extending from about mid-way the height of said wheels to a point above the same, a removable panel covering the upper portion of the rear Wheel, a spring metal rail located outwardly of said panels, means securing said rail to the body frame independent of said panels, and said rail located laterally of and entirely above said removable panel.

5. In a motor driven vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including a frame mounting side panels above and at the outer sides of the plane of said wheels, a frame at the inner side of and mounting said side panels, said body having a side door opening intermediate its front and rear wheels, a pair of rail sections disposed outwardly of the outer surfaces of said panels and located one forwardly and the other rearwardly of said door opening, said other rail extending from the rear of said door opening substantially to the rear of said body, said rail sections each comprising a length of spring metal, and means anchoring said sections to said frame independent of said side panels.

6. In a motor driven vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including a frame mounting side panels at the outer sides of said wheels, a frame at the inner side of and mounting said side panels, a spring metal rail located laterally of said side panels and substantially higher than the upper portions of said wheels, spaced means passing through said panels and securing said rail to said frame independent of said panels,

and compressible spacer blocks about said means between the rail and said panels.

7. In a motor driven delivery vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a box-like body extending forwardly and rearwardly and laterally beyond said wheels, said body including a frame, side body panels located laterally outwardly of said wheels and secured to said frame, said body having a side door opening intermediate its front and rear wheels, a pair of rail sections disposed outwardly of the outer surfaces of said side panels and located one forwardly and the other rearwardly of said door opening, said rail sections each comprising a length of spring metal, means anchoring said rail sections to said body frame independent of said side panels, and said rail sections having their ends curved inwardly toward but stopping short of said side panels.

3. In a motor driven delivery vehicle comprising ground engaging wheels and a body including side panels located at the outer sides of the plane of said wheels, frame members at the inner sides of and mounting said panels and of which one frame member is horizontally disposed, a metal guard rail at the outer side of said panels and ex tending longitudinally of said body and parallel with said horizontal frame member, mounting means secured to said rail at spaced points and having their inner ends passing slidably through said panels and into said horizontal frame member, means on the inner ends of said mounting means and preventing withdrawal thereof outwardly from said horizontal frame member, and yieldable spacer blocks about said mounting means and filling the space between the rail and the said body panels and limiting movement of said mounting means inwardly with respect to said horizontal frame member.

PHILIP CARLSON. 

